'Twilight' fans moon over 'Eclipse': 'It was way better than "New Moon'' '

After turning the space outside the Nokia Theatre into a tent city earlier this week, hundreds of screaming “Twilight” fans — many toting posters with messages such as "I want to play 'Pat the Pattinson' " or “My heart goes nutz for Lutz” scrawled in brilliant colors — got their wish at the world premiere Thursday of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”: photos with Robert Pattinson, a glimpse at Kellan Lutz’s Calvin Klein underwear and, for a few, last-minute tickets to see the film.

"It’s still such a struggle in the car on the way here," Pattinson said on the red carpet. "I’m like, 'I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.' "

It was a sentiment the nearby shrieking girls at the premiere definitely shared, which was part of the Los Angeles Film Festival, even though other festival-goers might not have. After all, the movie isn’t exactly the kind of fare typical of the films screened at the festival, which is sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. And though the screening of the Summit Entertainment film brought in scores of celebrities and media attention, it also ran the risk of alienating the festival’s core clientele of indie-film fans.

Twi-hards at the premiere, however, weren’t giving that much thought. A few fans were given extra tickets, courtesy of the film’s stars, to the screening once the red carpet (or, in this case, black carpet) arrivals wrapped up.

“This can’t be happening,” said Daisy Mercado, 25, who drove from Fontana. “No, really. Am I awake? Am I actually holding this ticket?”

Mercado joined the crowd of stars, invited guests and other newly ticketed super fans inside the theater. As the end credits rolled and attendees filtered out, the verdict was in:

“That [film] was 100% better than the other two,” said Mariah Angulo, 18, who sported a shirt that read: “Team Edward. He can bite my pillows, break my headboard and leave me bruised anytime.” She added, “It was really hilarious, and the action was amazing.”

"It was amazing. It was fantastic. It was everything I wanted it to be. It was ... perfect," said Elizabeth Aragon, 19, a student at Cal State L.A. who made sure to note the infamous tent scene was her favorite.

Some were left too romantically breathless to process it all. “The proposal scene was … I mean, it was just … I have no words,” said 9-year-old Karolina Briones, who camped out with her aunt, Wendy Zazueta. “I want to see it again!”

But it wasn’t all praise and swoons. “I thought it’d be a little different,” said Vanessa Camburn, 26, of Redondo Beach. “I was expecting it to be longer; it kind of felt like things were cut out and the editing was weird at times. Don’t get me wrong, it was way better than ‘New Moon.’ Way better.”

-- Yvonne Villarreal LA Times